Conference Speakers

Dr Giselle Yeo is an NHMRC Emerging Leadership Fellow and Senior Research Fellow at the Charles Perkins Centre and School of Life and Environmental Sciences at the University of Sydney. She completed her PhD in matrix protein biochemistry at the University of Sydney, then continued with postdoctoral studies in the biofunctionalisation of material surface for tissue engineering applications. With the support of a University of Sydney early-career development fellowship, Dr Yeo established a research program focused on understanding how extracellular matrix proteins regulate stem cell regenerative biology, and applying this knowledge towards functional stem cell-instructive materials. Her work has been recognised with several early-career research awards, including a NSW Young Tall Poppy Science Award, Selby Research Award, and Bob Fraser New Investigator Award.

Wei Seong Toh received his Ph.D. (2010) from the National University of Singapore (NUS). He did his post-doctoral training at the Harvard Medical School as an A*STAR International Fellow (2010-2012). In 2013, he joined NUS as an Assistant Professor, and was promoted to Associate Professor in 2020. He is currently a tenured Associate Professor and Research Director at the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, and a Principal Investigator at the NUS Tissue Engineering Program.

His research focuses on understanding the mechanisms for degeneration and developing multidisciplinary strategies for regeneration of tissues of the musculoskeletal system. To date, he has secured >SGD8M (direct cost) of funding, presented >60 plenary/keynote/invited talks, filed 3 patents/patent applications, and published >85 publications, accumulating h-index 47 and >18000 citations (Google Scholar). Together with his research team, he has garnered >50 research awards/honours, including the World’s Top 2% Scientists by Stanford University from 2020 to present.

Hang Ta is a Professor at School of Environment and Science and Queensland Micro- and Nanotechnology Centre, Griffith University. She is an ARC Future Fellow, and currently leads a team of 12 students and postdocs working on materials for diagnosis and treatment of life-threatening diseases. She has a unique skill set combining chemistry and biology skills. She got a PhD in biomaterials for drug delivery from University of Melbourne and then worked at Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute and University of Queensland before moving to Griffith University in 2020. Prof Ta has been awarded a number of prizes, grants and prestigious fellowships such as National Heart Foundation postdoctoral fellowship, NHMRC ECR fellowship and Heart Foundation Future Leader Fellowship, ARC Future Fellowship. She has secured over $6.6 million ($4.9 million as lead investigator) in competitive grant funding from national funding agencies for both discovery and infrastructure projects. She is President of the Australian Society for Molecular and Imaging, Associate Editor of Artificial Cells, Nanomedicine and Biotechnology, is on Editorial Boards and is a peer reviewer for several journals, is a chair/co-chair of international and national conferences. She is a member of ARC College of Expert, serves on the committees of various scientific societies and also serves on different national grant review panels (e.g. ARC, NHMRC, MRFF).

Anton completed a Masters and PhD at the University of Reading (UK) developing diazirine based high-explosives before emigrating to Australia in 2006 to work at the University of Melbourne on a Dupont sponsored project to develop automotive paints. In 2009 he was awarded an ARC Postdoctoral Fellowship to develop new strategies towards cyclic polymers. In 2013 he moved to the University of South Australia (UniSA) to develop injectable contact lenses with the vision CRC, wound dressings with the Wound Management Innovation CRC and hydrogels with the Cell Therapy Manufacturing CRC. Anton currently leads the Applied Chemistry and Translational Biomaterials Group, which focuses on the development of controlled release systems for various applications in the pharmaceutical, veterinary and conservation fields.

James completed a Bachelor of Chemical and Biological Engineering, a PhD in Biotechnology at the University of Queensland followed by a postdoc in Goettingen, Germany. Subsequently, he ran a lab together with Enzo Porrello at UQ, before relocating to QIMR Berghofer. James’ lab has brought together engineering and cell biology disciplines to develop human cardiac organoid screening platforms. He is now generating a ‘Cardiopedia’ aiming to provide a comprehensive map of the molecular processes governing cardiac function. From this basic biology his lab is working on translation of some key therapeutic candidates for heart failure and precisely targeting those to the patients that will benefit most. James regularly publishes in top journals in his field and is an inaugural recipient of the Snow Medical Fellowship in 2021.

A/Prof. Nathalie Bock is a Group Leader at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) School of Biomedical Sciences, the QUT Research Lead at the Translational Research Institute (TRI), and Deputy Co-Director of the Max Planck Queensland Centre for Materials Science of Extracellular Matrices (MPQC). She earned her M.Sc. in Materials Science & Engineering (France, 2007) and Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering & Medical Physics (QUT, 2014). Her research at TRI focuses on bioengineered tissue models to replicate the bone microenvironment in metastatic cancers. Key projects include an NHMRC Peter Doherty Fellowship (2015–2020) on prostate cancer, an Advance Queensland Mid-Career Fellowship (2021–2024) on breast cancer therapy, and an ARC DECRA Fellowship (2024–2027) on osteocyte networks. A/Prof. Bock integrates multiscale ECM design, biomaterials, biofabrication, and advanced characterization techniques to explore how biophysical and biochemical cues regulate tissue-specific architecture and cell-ECM interactions. She has secured $20M in research funding, including $2M as Lead CI, and has 70+ publications in top-tier journals (e.g., Nat Comms, ACS Nano, Biomaterials). A/Prof. Bock has delivered 65+ presentations worldwide, received multiple awards (e.g., ASMR Postdoctoral Medal 2017, ASBTE Young Investigator Award 2023, LSQ Gene Award 2024), and is a recognized leader in HDR/EMCR engagement in biomaterials, tissue engineering and biomedical technologies.

Prof. Dr. Thomas Scheibel is full professor for Biomaterials as well as Vice President for research and junior scholars at the University of Bayreuth. Further, he serves as the director of the University of Bayreuth Graduate School. Since 2014 he is a member of the German National Academy of Science and Engineering (acatech). He initiated and chairs the topical committee on “Bioinspired and interactive materials” at the German Materials Society (DGM), is co-chairman of the TranregioSFB TRR225 “Biofabrication”, co-founder, shareholder and consultant of AMSilk GmbH (Germany), advisory board member of Humble Bee Ltd. (New Zealand), group leader of the New Materials Bayreuth GmbH (NMB), and member of the editorial boards of PLOS One, Scientific Reports, BioNanoScience, Biopolymers, International Journal of Bioprinting, and ACS Applied Engineering Materials.

Professor Simon Cool is a distinguished figure in biomedical engineering, currently serving as the Director of the UQ Advanced Cell Therapy Manufacturing Initiative within the School of Chemical Engineering at the University of Queensland. Professor Cool’s scientific journey commenced over two decades ago at the University of Queensland, where he earned his BSc (Hons) and PhD degrees. He initially held a faculty position in the School of Biomedical Sciences before transitioning to the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), ASTAR, Singapore, in 2003 as a Principal Investigator. In 2008, he joined ASTAR’s Institute of Medical Biology (IMB) shortly after its establishment, where he served as Senior Principal Investigator and later as a Research Director. He returned to IMCB in 2020 before rejoining the University of Queensland in 2022.

Professor Cool has an impressive portfolio of granted glycosaminoglycan biochemistry, regenerative medicine, and stem cell science patents. His work strongly focuses on biomanufacturing and translation, particularly in advancing glycosaminoglycan-based devices from discovery R&D to pre-clinical and clinical testing and then into commercial ventures.

In addition to his primary role, Professor Cool holds a Visiting Professor appointment at IMCB, A*STAR, Singapore, and an Adjunct Professor (Research) position in the Orthopaedic Department at the National University of Singapore (NUS). His previous roles include Treasurer of the Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine International Society, Asia Pacific Chapter (TERMIS-AP), and Treasurer of the Stem Cell Society Singapore (SCSS). He has also held senior leadership positions in several Singapore-based R&D programs, including Director of Allogeneic Stem Cell Manufacturing (ASTEM) and Theme Leader in Advanced Manufacturing for Biological Materials (AMBM). Professor Cool is actively involved in the academic community, serving on the Editorial Board of Biomaterials, Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, and as the Asia-Pacific Regional Editor for Stem Cells and Development.